My 10MM launches brass

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NorthBorder

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I shoot a RIA 10MM. My loads are kinda hot. I shoot a 200 grain hard cast using 12.2 grains AA#9. The spent cases are traveling 25 to 30 feet. I am wondering if I install a heaver main spring this will tame that. I believe the spring is a 20# that is factory installed. Would a heavier spring solve this problem?
Thanks in advance.
 
It might. That might also induce spring-rate mismatch between the recoil spring and magazine springs (heavier spring returns slide to battery faster, giving less time to magazine spring to push next round all the way up) and/or cause reliability issues with other ammo (if you ever shoot less dynamic stuff). Other things you can try:
  • Heaver mainspring (hammer spring).
  • Different geometry on bottom of firing pin stop/retaining plate (smaller radius/square bottom provides more resistance to initial slide movement).
  • Filing material off the ejector.
Except for the ejector, all of these (including recoil spring changes) will subtly alter the way the gun behaves in recoil. If you're only doing slow fire, that may not matter much to you, but if you are interested in managing the recoil and being able to maintain brisk splits with the gun, you may want to try different combinations of these things to see what combination(s) you like best.
 
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EGW Oversized firing pin stop with a flat bottom will slow down the slide during recoil due extra energy needed to cock the hammer, thus reducing the velocity of empty cases, and reduces the slide slamming back into battery quite so hard.
 
why is this a problem? how far do max factory loads fling your cases? if the same, then i'd leave the gun alone. let us know.

luck,

murf
 
Had a G20 with hot 800X loads fling the brass into the next county. Increased recoil spring weight a lb at a time that still functioned the firearm and kept the brass in a decent vicinity for collection.
 
why is this a problem? how far do max factory loads fling your cases? if the same, then i'd leave the gun alone.

He's obviously a handloader. Some handloaders don't like brass tossed a long way because it does make it harder to recover the cases.

Some other people assume that brass-toss distance above a certain level indicates some kind of frame battering occurring. I think this is wrong as often as it is right.
 
I agree, atldave. i'm assuming glock designs their guns to handle the most powerful "legal" rounds that can be fired in a particular weapon. if the op's reloads don't fling cases farther than the hottest commercial rounds, then I don't see a problem here from a "gun failure" prospective. from a "I don't want to go chasing cases over half the county" prospective, I understand.

murf
 
It shouldn't require machining, though with any 1911 part there's a chance of needing to do a little filing to make it fit. This isn't a part where very, very precise fit is essential, though. I'd never try to fit a barrel, for instance, but I'd fit a firing pin stop without hesitation.

Note that this is what I was suggesting in bullet point #2 from my list above.
 
I agree, atldave. i'm assuming glock designs their guns to handle the most powerful "legal" rounds that can be fired in a particular weapon. if the op's reloads don't fling cases farther than the hottest commercial rounds, then I don't see a problem here from a "gun failure" prospective. from a "I don't want to go chasing cases over half the county" prospective, I understand. murf

Makes sense, although the OP isn't using a Glock. Someone else tossed in a reference to a G20, but the OP is asking about a 1911-pattern gun.
 
ATLDave, maybe a whole new heavier spring kit? This may be the cheapest remedy. Actually these loads are my hiking around loads I wouldn't shoot regularly. I haven't had this gun long so I haven't developed any practice loads. I may be looking for a solution that doesn't really have a problem. I just don't like that it throws brass so far.
 
Murf,
Factory Armscorp brass will drop usually within 5-10 feet.

Iggy, does the EGW have to be machined to fit or is it simply a drop in replacement.

It may take a few swipes across a very fine metal file to reduce the width a tiny, tiny bit. Five minutes work.
 
Delta Elite is 23# according to Wolff Gunsprings.
I use a 23# in my 10mm 1911's and brass is ejected positively about 20 ft.

If somebody who shoots a Glock gets BTF and others blame BTF on their grip, they should shoot a 10mm 1911 or a Glock in 10mm / 357 Sig.
Hard to blame grip if 357 Sig Glock (32) doesn't throw brass at face but a 9mm Glock 19 does. (Its the ejector/extractor/and possibly ammo)
 
My 10mm RIA does much the same, just found one of my brass in the parking lot from a weeks ago range trip the other day.

I'll be keeping an eye on your progress.

How did you settle on the 12.2 grain load?

I also like 12.2 of AA#9, though under an XTP. After experimentation that seems to be the sweet spot with my gun, accuracy wise.
 
I have a Witness Elite that really tosses the brass. I believe the stock spring is 14#, I bought mine used and measured the spring at 16#. I tried an 18# and 22# spring, they all cycled and locked the slide on empty mag, but I occasionally had misfeeds with the 22# spring, so I dropped back to the 18". (I think @ATLDave is right about the recoil/mag spring mismatch). It still tosses the brass a long way. Apparently, shortening the ejector is a common thing with the 10mm Witness Elite, so I may try that next. I reload, and I hate losing my 10mm brass.
 
My Ruger 1911 10mm does the same.

A few weeks ago I was shooting at my buddy's range and I was standing about 25-30ft in front of his shooting pavilion/ deck and he had to come down off the deck because I was slinging brass all over the pavilion.

Kind of funny but not if you're I reloader.
 
I choose a specific place to shoot all three of my 10mm’s based on how tall the grass gets. It doesn’t make for a very dynamic shooting experience but honestly that’s true of all my target shooting.

The best I can do is set up several swinger targets and try to move around while actively shooting.

I spend extensive amounts of clean up time looking for my 10mm brass because loosing it breaks my heart, and wallet.
 
If I'm going to shoot in a grassy field, I find running a stripe of red marker around the circumference of the brass to help a lot in spotting it. Blue works OK, too.
 
If I'm going to shoot in a grassy field, I find running a stripe of red marker around the circumference of the brass to help a lot in spotting it. Blue works OK, too.
That's a good idea. Say I see a million dollar idea in that!

It would be especially helpful in fall. The grass turns brass colored and "Dang, where'd they go?"
 
Sadly, this is not a new idea. It's long been a trick of 38 super shooters in USPSA/IPSC, because they also like to retrieve their brass.

Red helps when you're shooting in grass. A green stripe helps if you're shooting in sand or a red Georgia clay pit. Blue works OK for both of those, but is camouflage on grey gravel rocks.
 
I put red marker on brass years ago and found that it caused the residue in the gun and in the case to be slightly pigmented and stain fabric pink the gun comes into contact with near the ejection port before a thorough cleaning. The case padding promptly got stains, and anything else that pressed up against the gun.
 
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